If you haven't registered on the CARM Client Portal yet, you're already behind. CBSA's system went live for Release 2 in October 2024, and importers who still haven't set up their accounts are operating without direct access to their own import data, duty statements, and compliance history. That's a problem, and it gets worse every month you wait.
This guide walks you through the actual steps to get your business registered and functional on the portal. Not the theory. The clicks.
Why You Need to Do This Now
Before Release 2, your customs broker could handle everything on your behalf. That's still partly true, but the relationship changed. Under CARM, you as the importer are now directly responsible for your own financial security (your bond or cash deposit with CBSA), your own duty payment statements, and your own compliance record.
Your broker can still act as your agent. But they can't be your substitute anymore.
A food importer we work with found this out the hard way in early 2025. Their broker had been handling everything for years, great broker, no complaints. But when CBSA issued a re-determination on a shipment from 2023, the notice went to the portal. The importer wasn't registered. They missed the 90-day window to respond. The $18,700 duty assessment became final. No appeal. No recourse.
Register now. Not next quarter.
What's Happening Right Now That Makes This More Urgent
August 2026 is not a quiet time in Canadian trade. CBSA has been ramping up trade compliance verification activity all year, and they've specifically expanded their focus to include steel, aluminum, and trade agreement compliance — on top of goods subject to retaliatory tariffs. If you're importing anything caught in the Canada-U.S. tariff situation, and a lot of importers are, your transactions are more likely to get a second look. That means re-determinations, penalty notices, and correspondence landing in your portal inbox.
If you're not registered, you won't see any of it until it's too late to respond.
There's also the forced labour file. The U.S. has formally called out Canada for not doing enough to block imports made with forced labour, and that political pressure is translating into more scrutiny at the border. If your supply chain touches regions or sectors flagged for forced labour risk, expect more documentation requests. Your broker can advise you, but the account activity happens on your side, in the portal.
Surtax remission provisions have been extended again — CBSA confirmed another two-month extension running into August 2026 — but the guidance on what actually qualifies keeps narrowing. If you have shipments that might be eligible, you need portal access to manage the paperwork. Don't assume your broker is handling it without asking directly.
And there's a separate issue worth flagging: Canada is currently trying to collect over $311 million in duties on fraudulently labelled U.S. chicken. That's a massive enforcement file, and it signals that CBSA is not in a lenient mood right now. Compliance verification is a priority across the board.
The portal isn't just an administrative nicety anymore. It's where the action is. If you want a broader picture of where your CARM readiness stands beyond just registration, that's worth reviewing too.
What You Need Before You Start
Don't sit down at the portal without these ready. You'll get partway through and hit a wall.
- Your Business Number (BN9): The 9-digit number CRA assigned your business. Not the 15-character program account number, just the first 9 digits. If you don't know it, log into My Business Account on CRA's site.
- Your RM import account number: This is your BN9 followed by "RM" and a 4-digit suffix. Usually RM0001. If you've never imported before, you may need to register with CBSA first — call 1-800-461-9999.
- A GCKey or Sign-In Partner account: This is how you authenticate into the portal. If you use online banking with one of the major Canadian banks, you likely already qualify for Sign-In Partner. GCKey is the government option, free to set up at canada.ca/gckey.
- Your legal business name exactly as it appears with CRA: Typos here cause mismatches that take weeks to fix.
- Contact information for whoever will be your Business Account Manager (BAM): This person gets admin rights. Choose carefully — they can grant and revoke access for everyone else in your organization.
Step 1: Get Your GCKey or Sign-In Partner Credential
Go to the CARM Client Portal at ccp.cbsa-asfc.cloud-nuage.canada.ca. You'll see two login options: GCKey and Sign-In Partner.
Sign-In Partner is faster if you already bank online. You'll use your existing bank credentials — no new account to create. Supported institutions include RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Desjardins, and a few others. If your bank is on the list, use it.
GCKey takes about 10 minutes to set up. You'll create a username, password, and recovery questions. Write them down somewhere. CBSA support cannot reset your GCKey — that goes through a separate government process and it's slow.
Once you've authenticated, you'll land on the portal's main screen. If it's your first time, you won't see any business data yet. That's normal.
Step 2: Enrol Your Business
Click "Enrol" or "Register a Business Account." You'll be asked for your BN9 and your RM account suffix.
The portal will attempt to match your information against CBSA's records. If everything matches, you'll move forward. If it doesn't, you'll get a generic error message that tells you almost nothing useful. Common causes:
- Your business name in the portal doesn't exactly match CRA's records (even punctuation matters)
- Your RM account hasn't been activated with CBSA yet
- Someone else already enrolled your account — which happens when a broker enrolled on your behalf during the early rollout
If you hit an error, call the CARM Help Desk at 1-800-461-9999 before you try again. Repeated failed attempts can create duplicate enrollment requests that take longer to untangle.
Step 3: Designate Your Business Account Manager
The first person who completes enrollment becomes the default Business Account Manager. This is the most powerful role in the portal — they control who else gets access and what they can do.
Pick someone who's actually going to be around. We've seen companies assign this role to a consultant who finished the project and left. Now nobody can grant access to new staff, and the process to reassign BAM status involves written requests to CBSA. It takes time you won't want to spend.
If you're a small importer and you're the owner, just make it yourself. If you're a larger operation, this should be your controller, compliance manager, or whoever owns the trade function day-to-day.
Step 4: Grant Access to Your Customs Broker
This step is where a lot of importers stall. They register, feel like they've accomplished something, and stop. But if your broker can't see your account, they can't do their job properly.
In the portal, go to Account Management > Business Relationships. You'll search for your broker by their BN9. Once you find them, you'll assign a delegation level:
- Level 1, Full access: Your broker can do almost everything you can do, including submitting transactions and managing financial security on your behalf.
- Level 2, Partial access: Read-only plus some transaction capabilities. Useful for brokers who are filing on your behalf but you want to retain control over financial decisions.
Talk to your broker before you assign the level. They'll tell you what they need. Most full-service brokers will ask for Level 1.
One thing to know: granting access doesn't transfer responsibility. You're still the importer of record. The broker is acting as your agent. If they make an error, CBSA comes to you first.
Step 5: Set Up Financial Security
This is the step most importers underestimate, both in complexity and in how long it takes.
Under CARM, you need to have financial security on file with CBSA directly. Before Release 2, your broker's bond covered your transactions. That's no longer sufficient on its own. You need your own security arrangement.
You have two options:
- Customs bond (surety bond): Issued by an approved surety company. The bond amount needs to cover your highest monthly duty and tax liability. CBSA published a list of approved sureties — your broker or an insurance broker can help you get one. Typical cost is 1-3% of the bond value annually.
- Cash deposit: You deposit funds directly with CBSA via the portal. No annual fee, but your cash is tied up. For most importers, this isn't practical.
One thing worth flagging right now: if your imports are subject to retaliatory surtaxes or the aluminum surtax, your monthly duty liability may be significantly higher than it was even six months ago. CBSA has also been actively tightening the aluminum surtax exemption criteria — what qualified last year may not qualify today. That directly affects how much bond coverage you need. An under-bonded account can trigger compliance issues on its own. Review your bond amount against your current duty exposure, not what you were paying in 2024.
Once your bond is issued, your surety submits it electronically to CBSA. You don't mail anything. But you should confirm in the portal that it's showing as active before you import. Go to Financial Security > View Security and make sure the status is "Active" and the amount is correct.
Getting a bond can take 2-3 weeks if you've never had one. Start this process before you need it.
Step 6: Verify Your Account Data
Once you're enrolled and your broker is linked, spend 20 minutes actually looking at your account. Check:
- Transaction history: Do the entries match what you've actually imported? If you see transactions you don't recognize, flag them immediately.
- Statement of Account: Any outstanding balances? Any assessments you weren't aware of?
- Correspondence: CBSA sends notices through the portal now. Check the inbox. Some importers have found months-old notices sitting unread.
- Contact information: Is the email address on file current? This is where payment reminders and compliance notices go.
Honestly, most importers skip this verification step. They register, link their broker, and consider it done. Then six months later they discover an unpaid balance that's been accumulating interest since the day they enrolled.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Your BN doesn't match CBSA records
Call CBSA at 1-800-461-9999 and ask them to verify what business name and BN they have on file for your RM account. Sometimes the issue is that your import account was set up under a slightly different legal name than what CRA has. You may need to contact both agencies to get them aligned.
Your broker says they can't see your account
Log into the portal and check under Business Relationships. Confirm the broker is listed and the delegation is active, not pending. If it shows "pending," the broker may need to accept the relationship on their end.
You enrolled but your financial security isn't showing
Contact your surety company first. They should be able to confirm whether the bond was submitted electronically to CBSA. If it was submitted but not showing, call the CARM Help Desk with your bond number ready.
You have multiple RM accounts
Some importers have more than one RM account — maybe from different business acquisitions or historical reasons. You'll need to enrol each one separately. Talk to your broker about which accounts are active and which ones matter.
A Note on Multi-User Access
If you have a team — an AP person who handles duty payments, a logistics coordinator who tracks shipments, a CFO who wants visibility — you can set them all up with different access levels.
Your BAM goes to Account Management > Manage Users and invites each person by their email address. They'll need their own GCKey or Sign-In Partner credential. Once they authenticate, they'll see your business account with whatever permissions you've assigned.
Don't give everyone admin rights. Give people access to what they need to do their job. This isn't just good security practice — it reduces the risk of accidental changes to your financial security or account settings.
What Your Broker Can and Can't Do For You
Your broker can help you through the registration process. Many will walk you through it step by step, or even do parts of it with you on a screen share. That's fine.
What they can't do is register on your behalf without your involvement. The GCKey or Sign-In Partner credential has to belong to you or someone in your organization. CBSA's authentication is designed to tie the account to the actual business owner.
Some brokers enrolled client accounts during the early CARM rollout using temporary arrangements. If your broker tells you "we already set up your account," ask them to show you. Log in yourself. Make sure you actually have access and that the credentials aren't sitting with someone else.
Frequently Asked Questions
I've been importing for 20 years through my broker. Do I really need to register myself?
Yes. This isn't optional anymore. Your broker can still file your entries, manage your transactions, and act as your agent — but they need to do it through your account, not as a substitute for your account. CBSA's compliance notices, duty statements, and re-determinations now go to the importer directly through the portal. If you're not registered, you're not seeing them.
How long does registration actually take?
If you have everything ready and there are no data mismatches, the enrollment itself takes about 30-45 minutes. Getting your financial security sorted — especially if you need a new surety bond — can take 2-3 weeks. Plan accordingly.
What's the difference between a GCKey and a Sign-In Partner? Which should I use?
They both get you into the same portal. Sign-In Partner uses your existing bank credentials, which is convenient if your bank is supported. GCKey is a standalone government account. Either works. Use whichever you're more comfortable managing long-term — you'll be logging in regularly.
My company has multiple legal entities that all import. Do I need separate accounts?
Yes. Each legal entity with its own BN9 and RM account needs its own portal enrollment. You can link the same broker to all of them, and your BAM can potentially manage multiple accounts, but each entity is separate in CBSA's system.
What happens if I miss a duty payment because I didn't see the notice in the portal?
"I didn't check the portal" is not an accepted reason for missing a deadline. CBSA charges interest on overdue amounts at the prescribed rate, and it compounds. More importantly, if a re-determination or penalty notice goes unacknowledged past the response window, it becomes final. Set up email notifications in your account settings and check the portal inbox at least weekly.
Can I have more than one Business Account Manager?
The portal allows for one primary BAM, but that person can grant other users elevated permissions. In practice, most companies designate a backup by giving a second user near-equivalent access. Talk to your broker about how to structure this for your operation — it's worth getting right before someone goes on vacation and you need to make an urgent change.
I heard there's surtax remission available on some goods. Can I apply through the portal?
Remission provisions have been extended again — CBSA confirmed another two months running into August 2026 — but the scope of what qualifies is narrow and getting narrower. CBSA has been actively tightening eligibility guidance all year. Don't assume your goods qualify without getting a proper assessment. You'll need portal access to manage any remission-related documentation and to track whether your claims are accepted. Your broker can advise on eligibility, but the account activity happens on your side.
CBSA is doing more compliance verifications right now. Does that affect me?
It does if you're importing goods subject to retaliatory tariffs, or anything in steel, aluminum, or trade agreement categories. CBSA updated its trade compliance verification priorities in 2026 to specifically target those goods. That means a higher chance of post-entry review, re-determinations, and penalty notices. All of that correspondence goes to your portal inbox. If you're not registered and checking it regularly, you're flying blind during one of the more active enforcement periods in recent memory. If you're unsure how your goods are classified and whether they fall into a flagged category, it's worth looking at an advance ruling to get certainty before CBSA comes to you first.
What about forced labour compliance — is that a portal issue too?
Increasingly, yes. The U.S. has formally called out Canada for not doing enough to block imports made with forced labour, and that pressure is showing up in how CBSA handles certain goods at the border. If your supply chain touches higher-risk regions or sectors, expect documentation requests. Managing that correspondence and any related compliance filings happens through your portal account. Your broker can guide the strategy, but you need to be in the system to act on it.
CBSA recently updated its verification priorities to include steel and aluminum. What does that mean for my portal setup?
It means those accounts need to be in especially good shape. If you're importing steel or aluminum products — or goods that contain them — CBSA is actively looking at whether the correct tariff treatment and any applicable surtax exemptions were applied. Correspondence related to those reviews lands in your portal inbox. You also want to make sure your bond coverage reflects current duty exposure, which for steel and aluminum importers can be substantially higher than it was before the surtaxes kicked in. Check the D11-4-2 guidance on tariff classification disputes while you're at it — misclassification is one of the main triggers for these reviews.
I'm personally importing a Chinese EV. Does any of this apply to me?
If you're importing as a business — even a small one — yes, all of it applies. Private individuals importing a single vehicle for personal use have a different process, but if there's any commercial element to what you're doing, you need a portal account. Chinese EVs also carry a 100% surtax right now on top of regular duties, so the financial security question is very real. Get advice before the goods ship, not after they're sitting at the border.
I've heard CBSA is having trouble collecting duties in some enforcement cases. Does that mean they'll be less aggressive with smaller importers?
The opposite, actually. The $311 million chicken file — where CBSA is struggling to recover duties on fraudulently labelled U.S. product — is a political embarrassment. When enforcement agencies have high-profile collection failures, they tend to get more aggressive on the cases they can control. Smaller importers with straightforward compliance issues are easier targets than large-scale fraud operations. Keep your account current, your bond adequate, and your portal inbox clear.